Pain.
I push against it
challenge it
A warrior intent
on proving
I am…
indestructible
unwilling
to flinch
Convinced
that denial
equals power
Except, it gnaws
at my edges
tears me down
bit by bit
Just as I prepare
to succumb…
clarity
…this is invitation
…surrender is a gift
…pain is passage
I let go
absolve myself
of the need….
(Pain first appeared on One Woman’s Quest II in June of 2016.
It has been edited here. Art my own.)
So much to see in the drawing VJ 🙂
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Thanks Brian. I think I counted 7 faces.
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I think I did too. I liked the fluidity 🙂 🙂
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Your poem is such an eloquent depiction of pain.
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Thanks Liz.
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You said it all in this poem about pain! Exactly what I go through! The artwork depicts it very well also! 🙂 ❤
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Sorry that you have this too. When I get beyond myself, I pick up a pencil and try to set consciousness aside. This emerged. Thanks so much Deborah.
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Thanks for sharing that V.J., that’s what I need to do–pick up a pen and journal, write poetry or even get back to drawing my pain! 🙂 ❤
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…and breathe….I always forget to breathe… take care.
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Cleverly constructed piece. And this sketch is amazing! Fantastic work, V.J.!
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Thanks Benjamin.
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Welcome!
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Your poem and art fit together so well you have me thinking of illustrated poetry as a way to both intensify and clarify. I liked the way you have described the struggle against pain and the sudden awareness and reimagining pain as an invitation. I have also tried the stoic route with a natural aversion to medication until a doctor explained the pain killers are needed so the body can focus on ‘curing’ the disease. On a lighter note, during treatment in hospital, a Dr. Paine was replaced by a Doctor Hope. I took that as a sign…
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We’ll take any signs we can get, right? Thanks Sarah. I would like to get to a place of confidence with my art to be able to pair it more frequently.
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Synchronicity – thank you VJ for this sharing – catalyst as I prepare notes to take with me Monday to consultation (guessing first of many) about ongoing pain in hip/leg. Accepting this as part of life – as passage into longer life – I can approach the doctor with “management” vs “fix” perspective.
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Oh, Jazz. Hope you get some good answers.
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A reflective and symbolic drawing and your engaging writing always inspires and empowers me.
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Thanks so much, Michele!
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VJ.,
I’ve chewed my tongue raw with the chronic pain of RA. Your words spoke to that need to split ourselves, to dislocate and distance ourselves from it on an ongoing basis. Vividly penned.
pax,
dora
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Oh, Dora, sorry you’ve gone through that and then you for your kind words.
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This is an excellent and heartfelt poem. I also suffer from chronic pain so I can relate to this.
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Sorry to hear that you suffer too. Thanks for the reading and commenting. I appreciate it.
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Incredible! This poem truly depicts what pain is!
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Thanks.
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No prob
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